**Chapter 2 – The First Scan**
**Mumbai, 6:32 AM**
A single beam of sunlight filtered through the torn curtain, falling across Arjun Verma's face like a signal flare from the waking world. He stirred, groggy and disoriented. His mind swam with remnants of the night before—a glowing interface, infinite space, promises of power. For a moment, he thought it had been a vivid dream born of exhaustion and hunger.
Until he opened his eyes and saw the floating blue text hovering at the corner of his vision.
> \[System World Active. Time Elapsed Since Exit: 3 Hours Real-World / 6 Hours System-Time.]
His breath caught in his throat.
It was real.
He sat up, heart racing. The room around him was the same—peeling walls, cracked concrete floor, a kettle with no gas to boil—but he was not the same. Inside his mind lived a world. A 1000 sq km kingdom of potential, molded by his will and powered by his intellect.
He remembered the plan he had drafted on the virtual whiteboard. Phase One began today.
**He needed to find his first scan.**
But it couldn't be anyone ordinary. He had only one scan slot. One chance. This first clone would define his knowledge base, his strategic advantage.
He pulled out his notebook and flipped to a list he'd made. "Unrealized Geniuses I've Met"—a list of people he had come across in life who showed brilliance but had either dropped out, faded into obscurity, or had no platform to express themselves.
Three names stood out:
1. **Naveen Kapoor** – Former AI research intern, now running a phone repair stall.
2. **Rehana Shah** – Self-taught coder, school dropout, part-time waitress.
3. **Karthik Mehta** – Mechanical design prodigy, alcoholic, ex-convict.
Each had merit. But he needed immediate utility. Someone whose skills could rapidly expand his technological base inside the System World. That narrowed it down.
**Naveen.**
He was located nearby—operated out of a makeshift kiosk outside the old train station. Arjun had once gotten a phone repaired there and remembered the odd way Naveen had modified the circuit board to improve battery efficiency. It was crude, but it worked.
And more importantly, **he had the kind of mind the system could refine.**
---
**8:05 AM – Mumbai Railway Station**
The morning crowd was as ruthless as ever—commuters elbowing for space, chai vendors screaming into the chaos, and rickshaw drivers haggling over one extra rupee. Arjun slipped through the mess like a ghost, hoodie pulled up, eyes scanning for a familiar face.
There. Just past the newspaper stall.
Naveen Kapoor. Mid-thirties, wiry frame, eyes hidden behind scratched glasses, hunched over a tray of phone components.
He looked tired. But the rapid-fire motion of his hands told another story. They moved like they had a language of their own—soldering, rewiring, tapping into the guts of technology without hesitation.
**Arjun's HUD blinked.**
> Potential Scan Target Detected.
> Naveen Kapoor – Cognitive Match: 88% (Engineering Intelligence).
> Scan Available. Proceed? \[Y/N]
He hesitated.
Scanning wasn't passive. He had to be within a meter. He had to lock eyes. And most importantly, **he had to do it without alerting anyone.**
He approached casually.
"Hey," Arjun said, pulling out an old mobile. "Can you fix this? Battery keeps dying at 40%."
Naveen looked up, expression neutral. "Depends. Might be the motherboard. Might be junk."
"I trust you," Arjun replied.
The man snorted but took the phone. Their eyes met for half a second.
> \[Scan Initiated.]
> Assimilating Cognitive Signature...
> Data Stream: Active.
> Estimated Completion: 12 Seconds.
Arjun held still. His body buzzed, not from nerves but from the strange sensation of the scan—a faint hum in the bones, a tingling behind the eyes.
> \[Scan Complete. Clone Created in System World.]
> Designation: Clone-Nav01.
> Begin Simulation? \[Y/N]
He stepped back. "Actually… I'll come back later. Keep the phone."
Naveen blinked but shrugged. "Suit yourself."
Arjun melted into the crowd.
---
**System World – 15 Minutes Later**
He entered through the interface again, now familiar, now exhilarating. The digital mesh beneath his feet formed a path leading to a small lab—white walls, adjustable lighting, a lone workstation.
Inside stood **Nav01**, the clone.
He looked identical, down to the last detail. But his eyes sparkled differently—like they were waiting to be directed.
> Clone Parameters Active. Awaiting Task Assignment.
Arjun stepped forward.
"Nav01, begin compiling everything you know about AI frameworks, real-time learning models, and low-cost hardware integrations. Prioritize practical applications over theory."
> Command acknowledged. Estimated Compilation Time: 6 Hours (System Time).
He watched the clone begin.
This was no fantasy. No wish-fulfillment. It was intelligence—harnessed and multiplied.
And it was just the beginning.
Back in the real world, Arjun now had 3 hours of processing time to think, prepare, and execute his next move.
Today, he had borrowed knowledge.
Tomorrow, he would wield it like a sword.
---
**End of Chapter 2**